All Posts (94)

With bilateral trade between India and Kazakhstan crossing US$1 billion, both countries are exploring potential of new products. Immense possibilities exist in sectors like agricultural products, food processing, pharmaceuticals, energy and chemicals. Kazakhstan is India’s largest trade and investment partner in Central Asia and is its third largest partner in the entire post-Soviet region.

Ahead of expected visit of Kazakh President Nazarbayev to India in 2019 when several…

A crowd of about 150 people gathered near Chinese Embassy in Bishkek for a protest. The crowd asked Chinese government to explain why it had arrested ethnic Kyrgyz and was holding them in internment camps; they also demanded that the Kyrgyz government expel any Chinese found to be staying in the country illegally. President Jeenbekov’s comments that ethnic Kyrgyz of China are citizens of China and that Kyrgyzstan could not intervene in their domestic matters have hugely disappointed large…

IMF has forecast that Kazakhstan will see a GDP growth of 3.7% in 2018. Economic growth will be driven by higher oil production as well as increased activities in trade and manufacturing industry. Kazakhstan’s economic growth accelerated in 2017 due to measures taken by Government, including budget support, flexible exchange rate, use of inflation targeting as well as strengthening banking sector and implementation of structural reforms. Economic growth is expected to continue although some…

Discussions on divesting former presidents of Kyrgyzstan of their immunity, potentially opening the path for prosecution of former President Almazbek Atambaev, are advancing in the parliament committee for constitutional law.

A group of ethnic Kyrgyz originally from north-western Chinese region of Xinjiang have urged Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbai Jeenbekov to seek release of their relatives from "re-education camps" in China. Kyrgyzstan’s first reaction to reports that ethnic Kyrgyz…

For the first-time, troops of a foreign army are serving under command of an Indian Army battalion at a United Nation mission. A company comprising 120 soldiers of Kazakh army were inducted with the 11 Jat infantry battalion of the Indian Army in Lebanon. With a total strength of 850 troops, Indian and Kazakh army are co-deployed in a mountainous, tough terrain along the Blue Line that demarcates Lebanon and Israel. While 90 soldiers from the Kazakh army will be deployed in the area under…

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev on October 19, pressed a symbolic button to launch a project to build Uzbekistan’s first nuclear power plant. This is likely to be Central Asia's first new-era nuclear plant. It is expected that about 15% of energy generation within Uzbekistan by 2030 will be accounted for by nuclear power. The first block of nuclear power plant would be launched by 2028. This project is in line with…

Russia and Kazakhstan intend to bring mutual payments in national currencies up to 70% over the next 1-2 years from the current level of 63%. Bilateral trade turnover is expected to reach US$20 bln this year.

According to European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), economic growth in Central Asia is expected to moderate in 2018 and 2019, reflecting a need for fiscal consolidation in the region, higher inflation limiting growth in real…

Kazakhstan’s first ever UN peacekeeping contingent that is part of an Indian battalion in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) arrived in Lebanon. The contingent will patrol areas, organise observer posts and supervise ceasefires. 120 Kazakh peacekeepers have been deployed in Lebanon in their mission for UNIFIL with Indbatt. India, as the lead nation, is providing command, control and battalion headquarters, three rifle companies, a mechanised infantry…

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, accompanied by a high-level delegation, paid a 2-day state visit to India to strengthen bilateral ties. This was his first visit to India since assuming office in 2016. 17 agreements were signed ranging from cooperation in defence, national security, agriculture, science, pharmaceuticals and technology, and a twinning agreement between historic cities of Agra and Samarkand. Both countries decided to work jointly and strive for a…

Kazakhstan accounts for more than 70% of all investment coming to region. In first six months of 2018, agreements were reached by Kazakhstan to implement 69 new projects with large investors, including ten multinational companies from China, Turkey, United States, UAE, UK and European Union.

It was stated at Kazakhstan Global Investment Forum in London that Kazakhstan is an “overlooked powerhouse” and one of world’s next big investment destinations. Several…

According to a UN Report, over a million people are allegedly being held in a secretive network of extrajudicial, political re-education centres in Xinjiang region of China. Several thousand of the 1.5 million Kazakhs who live in Xinjiang are interned in such camps. Unlike Uighurs, many of whom face cultural and religious repression, Kazakhs had long moved freely between China and their country. That freedom disappeared recently. Kazakh nationals…

Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and government of Uzbekistan signed a new partnership strategy for 2018-2021 worth US$ 1.3 billion. Uzbek President noted that cooperation between Uzbekistan and IDB covers projects in several sectors like modernization of road transport, energy and municipal infrastructure, housing construction in rural areas, development of drinking water supply system, health and education, support for entrepreneurial entities and…

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a brief stopover at Ashgabat airport enroute to Russia during which she held discussions with her Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov on issues of bilateral interest. She had made a brief stopover at Ashgabat in August, 2018 also during her visit to 3 Central Asian countries.

A Kazakh delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Askar Zhumagaliyev visited India during which members got acquainted…

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Turkey and held several Meetings with his Turkish counterpart President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The two leaders also held a joint press conference. In his speech, Erdoğan said that meetings were productive and five agreements were concluded. During the Turkey-Kazakhstan Investment Forum in Ankara, more than 20 documents worth approximately US$2 billion were signed. Nazarbayev congratulated Erdoğan for adopting the Presidential…

The five littoral States of Caspian Sea – Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan - agreed in principle on 12th August, 2018 to share the potentially huge oil and gas resources of the sea, paving way for more energy exploration and pipeline projects. However, delimitation of the seabed - which has caused the most disputes - will require additional agreements between these countries. Alongside the Draft Convention on Legal Status of Caspian Sea, the countries…

The first state visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to India is scheduled to take place in October, 2018.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj visited Kazakhstan (2-3 August), Kyrgyzstan (3-4 August) and Uzbekistan (4-5 August) to hold discussions with the leadership of these countries to further strengthen and expand relations with this important region. In Kazakhstan she met her counterpart as well as the Kazakh Prime Minister. In…

Temporary ban on import of gasoline by railway from Russia to Kazakhstan came into force on August 10, 2018. This is due to over-abundance of AI-92 gasoline in Kazakhstan after completion of modernization of oil refineries. Presently Kazakhstan has more than 300,000 tons reserves of gasoline which is almost a 30-day reserve.

China has expressed interest in joining the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, by building a…

Kazakhstan currently produces 1.8 million barrels of oil per day and does not intend reducing its production in spite of its obligations to Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). International Energy Agency (IEA) stated in April, 2018 that Kazakhstan had broken its obligation to reduce oil production by 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) and had instead increased its daily production by 80,000 bpd since October 2017. The giant field Kashagan which produced 170,000…

President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov said that strengthening friendly and fraternal relations with neighboring countries - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan is a priority of Kyrgyzstan’s foreign policy. He noted that development of all-round ties with its strategic partner - Russia will remain an unchanged priority in foreign policy. He added that Kyrgyzstan has raised the strategic level of cooperation with its closest neighbor - People's Republic…

3000 troops from member States of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will stage a joint counter-terrorism military exercise in Chelyabinsk, in west-central region of Russia, on 22nd-29th August, 2018. Contingents from all eight SCO member countries including India and Pakistan will participate in the exercise. India has selected 200 soldiers mainly from the 5 Rajput Regiment of the Indian Army and airmen of the Indian Air Force to participate in these exercises. Indian troops will use…

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About the Author

Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar

Former Ambassador of India to Kazakhstan, Sweden and Latvia; President, Institute of Global Studies and Distinguished Fellow, Ananta Centre

Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar belongs to the Indian Foreign Service and has acquitted his responsibilities in the diplomatic service for 34 years. He was Ambassador of India to Kazakhstan, Sweden and Latvia and has worked in senior diplomatic positions in Indian Embassies/Missions in Washington DC, Brussels, Moscow, Geneva, Tehran, Dhaka and Bangkok and also at Headquarters in India. He negotiated for India in the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations and in negotiations for India-EU, India-ASEAN and India-Thailand Free Trade Agreements.

He contributed significantly to strengthening strategic ties and promoting cultural cooperation between India and USA, EU, Russia and other countries.Ambassador Sajjanhar worked as head of National Foundation for Communal Harmony to promote amity and understanding between different religions, faiths and beliefs. Ambassador Sajjanhar has been decorated by Governments of Kazakhstan and Latvia with their National Awards and by Universal Peace Federation with Title of ''Ambassador of Peace.'' Currently Ambassador Sajjanhar is President of Institute of Global Studies, New Delhi. He writes, travels and speaks extensively on issues relating to international relations, foreign policy and themes of contemporary relevance and significance. He appears widely on TV panel discussions. Ambassador Sajjanhar is interested in reading, music and travelling. His wife Madhu is an economist and an educationist. They have a son and a daughter both of who are accomplished singers. Their son passed out of Yale University and their daughter is pursuing her PhD at University of Minnesota.